Xianyang Palace, the main hall for deliberation.
Since acquiring the He Shi Bi jade, the entire court felt an unprecedented sense of urgency. Ying Zheng summoned his ministers almost daily to discuss the plan to march south and destroy Chu.
Early that morning, the hall was already bustling with noise.
"Report! General Wang Jian, General Huan Yi, Inner Historian Teng, and General Wang Tian request an audience!"
"Announce!" Ying Zheng put down the bamboo slip in his hand and looked up at the palace gate.
"Your Majesty, we pay our respects!" the three said in unison.
"No need for formalities." Ying Zheng looked at the wicked husband beside him. "Grand Commandant, since we've gathered all these ministers here today, why don't you speak first?"
The wicked man straightened his robes, revealing a calm smile. "Your Majesty, what's there to discuss? Just send our army to crush him, won't that solve the problem?"
"Oh?" Ying Zheng became interested. "Tell me, how should we deploy troops? Who should be the general? How many troops should we mobilize? There must be a plan, right?"
"Three hundred thousand!" the wicked man declared emphatically. "The country currently has three hundred thousand troops available. Take them all there and annihilate the Chu Kingdom with overwhelming force."
These words startled everyone in the hall. Even the usually composed Wang Jian couldn't help but change his expression.
"This..." Wang Jian cupped his hands and said, "Grand Commandant, this old man thinks it inappropriate."
The wicked man raised an eyebrow: "Oh? What brilliant idea does the General have?"
"Our army has the advantage of gunpowder; 100,000 elite troops are enough to deal with the Chu state. Why need..."
"No!" the wicked man interrupted decisively, "The State of Chu is vast and populous. How can Your Majesty not present your strongest lineup when you are personally leading the expedition?"
"Furthermore, the seven kingdoms have been fighting for hundreds of years. Destroying them would be like a new beginning and a fresh start. Both in terms of sentiment and reason, my Qin Kingdom should make a grand spectacle to mark a perfect end and a perfect beginning!"
"Well said!" Ying Zheng clapped his hands in approval. "As the Grand Commandant says, mobilize an army of 300,000!"
The wicked husband pressed his advantage: "I have another suggestion."
"explain!"
"This expedition should require all of Qin's elite generals to be deployed."
"I suggest that Your Majesty and I command the central army, with Wang Jian as the commander-in-chief of the left wing, Wang Ben and his son Wang Li as commanders of the left wing, Huan Yi as the commander-in-chief of the right wing, Meng Wu and his son Meng Tian as commanders of the right wing, and Wang Tian leading the vanguard!"
"Except for generals who are on duty again or guarding the border, all other military officers in the court shall join the army as assistants!"
Upon hearing this, Wang Jian and the others were stunned. No one had expected the wicked man to try and drag all the military officers away; the scene was far too grand!
"Grand Commandant...isn't this making a mountain out of a molehill?" Wang Jian hurriedly said, "We have enough people; why make such a fuss!"
"The conquest of the six states was not the achievement of one person!" the wicked man declared emphatically. "The battle against Chu is the final one. If we were to reap the rewards alone again, what kind of outcome would that be?"
"Could it be... that the destruction of the six kingdoms was accomplished by only a few of us?"
All the civil and military officials in the court aspired to unify the six kingdoms. The civil officials were fine, but his arrival caused many military generals to idle away their days, only able to watch helplessly and anxiously.
It would be outrageous to deny others participation in this final battle!
"Then don't go. If you go... won't everyone else just make a wasted trip?" Huan Yi pouted, looking like he knew exactly what was going on with him.
"Exactly!" Neishi Teng's eyes darted around, quite indignant. "I believed you back then and joined the Qin state, waiting to make a name for myself, but I never expected to fall into your trap!"
"You've stolen all the limelight, leaving me stuck in Xianyang to retire. I've even gained weight. Why don't you just stay in Xianyang and govern?"
"Anyway... if His Majesty is going to personally lead the expedition, then the court can't function without someone making the decision."
Then he turned to Ying Zheng: "Your Majesty, what do you think?"
Ying Zheng stroked the He Shi Bi jade, lost in thought: "What you all say makes sense. If the Grand Commandant personally leads the army there, who will take charge of affairs in the court?"
The wicked husband, enraged, shouted angrily, "Don't even think about cheating me! I gave my opinions, I handled the affairs, and now you want to kick me out? No way!!"
Seeing that Ying Zheng was still hesitant, the wicked husband added, "Besides, I really can't rest easy if Your Majesty personally leads the expedition. If I'm on the front lines, I can better protect Your Majesty."
"Brother!" Meng Tian and Wang Li spoke at the same time, "We brothers have followed you for so long. Although we don't have your abilities, protecting the King is no problem. You should rest..."
"Alright!" Ying Zheng finally made the decision, "Grand Commandant...then you shall stay in Xianyang..."
The wicked husband's face turned green. When he heard Ying Zheng suddenly change his address to "Grand Commandant," he knew that this matter had nothing to do with him, so he could only nod reluctantly.
Ying Zheng glanced at him sideways, then burst into laughter, "Gentlemen, please work together to help me achieve my hegemony. It's also a good opportunity for our busy Grand Commandant... to get some rest!!"
"Your subjects obey!" The generals roared with laughter and responded.
After making the arrangements, Ying Zheng immediately led everyone to begin deployment, and at the same time issued two royal decrees.
The first step was to have the wicked man urge the gunpowder workshops to work day and night to ensure that enough gunpowder was produced for the army.
The second decree ordered the wicked man to temporarily assume control of the government, handle all military and political affairs, and exercise the power of review and decision-making. Officials remaining in Xianyang were to strictly obey the wicked man's orders.
Then, he and Wang Jian and the others shooed him away like flies...
In the following period, the entire city of Xianyang was enveloped in a heated atmosphere of preparation for war.
"Grand Commandant!" Zhang Erhe rushed over. "The armory and gunpowder workshops have both sent word that they're short-handed..."
"Let them choose from the Zhao prisoners!" The wicked man, without looking up, reviewed the documents. "Remember, as long as they are skillful and dexterous, that's fine. If all else fails, promise to restore their civilian status!"
"But......"
"No buts!" The wicked man put down the bamboo slips. "The king is definitely going to have a good time this time. He told me outright that he wants to show the Chu Kingdom what it means for the heavens and earth to tremble. Of course, we have to grant his request!"
Zhang Erhe had no choice but to obey the order and go to make arrangements.
No sooner had Zhang Erhe left than Zhao Gao arrived.
He was carrying a stack of bamboo slips in his arms, which almost covered his face. Behind him, seven or eight eunuchs were also carrying bundles of bamboo slips.
"Grand Commandant!"
Zhao Gao carefully placed the bamboo slips down. "These are all the memorials submitted today. Please review them as soon as possible!"
"Holy crap?"
The wicked man's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and he hurriedly asked, "Where is the king? Why doesn't the king review them himself? It's not like he's already gone to war."
Zhao Gao smiled slyly, "His Majesty is busy studying the formation and has no time to review it, so he has specially ordered it to be moved to your residence...so that you can handle it in full."
"My God!!"
The wicked man stared at the bamboo slips, his eyes turning red. How long would it take to review them all?
Zhao Gao smiled subtly again, "Grand Commandant... this is only part of it... there are four more carriages outside..."
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